Best racquet switch you ever made?

[corners]

What was the single best racquet switch you ever made, and why?

Usually on these boards people are making what appear to be horizontal moves - going from one frame that suits their game quite well to another that is a little more powerful, a little more comfortable or has a little better feel. But have you ever switched to a new racquet that immediately made an impact on how well you play and how often you win?


Please name the frame you switched from and the great frame you switched to, and what is/was so great about it.



(And, if you've since moved on, please tell us what you next switched to and what the hell you were thinking by moving away from a racquet that you played so well with!)

[LeeD]

I switch rackets every 2.5 years about, just for fun. Why not? I can afford it, it's fun, and it keeps tennis interesting.
Has any made my tennis any better? Nope.
Got my MicrogelRadOS today. Swings between my 200's and 500 Dunlop, about what I'm looking towards. Rain today, tomorrow, and maybe Sunday.

[rafafan20]

When I was a competitive junior I switched from the Head Ti Fire to the Prince Precision Response -- It completely revolutionized my game.

In the current day switching from a bab apd+ to my current tfibre has made my backhand much more deadly (easier to control)

[McLovin]

The best switch I ever made was a little over 5 years ago when I went from my Babolat Pure Control + 'Swirly' to the Fischer M-Comp 95.

What was the immediate impact it had on my game? Well, anyone who's ever hit with that frame knows it is one of the least powerful frames out there. It allowed me to 'swing away' on most of my ground strokes, and gave me confidence to stay in ralleys, as opposed to forcing the issue, knowing it was just a matter of time before I made an error.

Why did I move away from it? Because Fischer sold their racquet company to Pacific, and they took too long to release the follow-up (the X Feel Pro 95). After 3 years, my frames were pretty beat up, I couldn't find grommets, nor could I find replacement pallets.

Now I'm using the Pacific X Force Pro and loving it, but the M-Comp 95 was the frame that introduced me to lower powered frames, and that's why it was the 'best switch ever'...

[roundiesee]

From Dunlop AG 200 to BLX PS 90; whilst I could hit well with the Dunlop, I could not control the ball during matches for some reason. I ended up losing a lot of close matches. After switching to the Wilson, my control was a lot better, and I started winning again,

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Originally Posted by rafafan20

When I was a competitive junior I switched from the Head Ti Fire to the Prince Precision Response -- It completely revolutionized my game.

In the current day switching from a bab apd+ to my current tfibre has made my backhand much more deadly (easier to control)

The red and silver titanium version? Very nice!

The best switch was when I stopped using junior frames and went into the big boys 27inch frames.

[watungga]

My best switch is from Pro Kennex Copper Ace to

Wilson BLX ProStaff 95

This is the racquet I picked this year and my last my play was 1998.

[Drew24]

From Babolat E-Sense Lite, to Head YouTek Speed MP, and now to Head YouTek Extreme MP. The Babolat helped me learn the basic strokes and serves, the Speed made me learn how to give more depth on the ball and the Extreme is perhaps the best switch of all since it truly gives me much more topspin and power with the stiffness. I feel like I'm starting to win more matches easier and less tired due to the sub 11oz weight with the Extreme.

[db10s]

Prince Rebel 98 to Dunlop Hotmelt 200G....... I picked it up and I could just hit sweet spin with deadly control while still hitting the ball deep and hit the line 9 times out of 10 on my DTL FH. I switched to my Bio because of a sponsorship package that I couldn't refuse, and I've set it up to be almost exactly the same.

[diggies]

I was using the Babolat Pure Drive and ... well, I moved to the Kneissl Red Star, 2007 model. I love it. It reminds me of my old junior days when I played with a wooden Rossignol with graphite layers. - It is a longer racquet, and man, I can hit the ball wherever I want, my serve is pinpoint accurate, the feel is amazing. I love this stick. Everybody wonders what I am doing with a Kneissl cause no one else plays with it around here, but it is a laser gun, and it helped me move from 3.5 to 4.5 no problem.

[travlerajm]

Age 17: Switched from POG mid to Profile 2.7 OS.

The Profile seemed to feel like cheating. Thundering overheads, a wall at net. More dominating serve. It didn't fix my crappy fh, but it really suited the serve and volley style that I'd developed to compensate fro my lack of a fh. True story: I had only been playing competitively for about 18 months, and had never beaten a seeded player in a junior champs tourney, just trying to catch up to the kids who'd been playing 10 years longer than me. My first match with the Profile demo from the pro shop, and I took out the #2 seed in the biggest PNW junior tourney of the year (a 15-year-old who would be the top-ranked kid in 18's in the section 2 years later). I simply overpowered him with huge serves that kicked high to the backhand, and followed in behind with pounding volleys.

I used the Profile for 10 years - even won prize money in singles once due to my giant serve. Eventually moved next to Prostaff 4.7 (similar huge head, but longer and a little flexier). I noticed that the 4.7 demo let me 'shape' my shots better than the Profile. Played another 10 years with the 4.7 (and reached a very high level 9 years ago, winning prize money in both men's doubles and mixed doubles, even though my forehand still sucked).

I've gone through a lot of frames since then, but strangely, I'm now back the 4.7, except that I play it almost 3 ounces heavier than I did 10 years ago. Now my forehand is finally much better than before due to the lead in the right places, and my volleys are better than before, also due to the added lead. Unfortunatey, I don't have enough to time to practice my serve like I used to. So my rusty serve keeps me stuck as a double-faulting 4.5 with 5.0 rest of game who can dominate 8.0 mixed.

[Ramon]

Babolat APDGT to Pro Kennex Ki 5x.

Went from an over-powered, arm-wrecking frame that forced me to play tentatively to a more control-oriented, arm-friendly frame that lets me swing away with no worries.

[GrandSlam45]

I recently switched from the Pure Drive 2012 to the Pro Kennex Ki5 315. Wow... a world of difference. Whereas the PD's caused me major tennis elbow problems, the PK Ki5 allows me to play pain free with equal power and control.

It took some trial and error to dial in the Ki5, but once I did, it's been a dream come true.

[Fuji]

Away from my PSC6.1. That thing caused me a world of hurt on my shoulder. It's just too bad that it played so darn nice.

-Fuji

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by travlerajm

Age 17: Switched from POG mid to Profile 2.7 OS.

The Profile seemed to feel like cheating. Thundering overheads, a wall at net. More dominating serve. It didn't fix my crappy fh, but it really suited the serve and volley style that I'd developed to compensate fro my lack of a fh. True story: I had only been playing competitively for about 18 months, and had never beaten a seeded player in a junior champs tourney, just trying to catch up to the kids who'd been playing 10 years longer than me. My first match with the Profile demo from the pro shop, and I took out the #2 seed in the biggest PNW junior tourney of the year (a 15-year-old who would be the top-ranked kid in 18's in the section 2 years later). I simply overpowered him with huge serves that kicked high to the backhand, and followed in behind with pounding volleys.

I used the Profile for 10 years - even won prize money in singles once due to my giant serve. Eventually moved next to Prostaff 4.7 (similar huge head, but longer and a little flexier). I noticed that the 4.7 demo let me 'shape' my shots better than the Profile. Played another 10 years with the 4.7 (and reached a very high level 9 years ago, winning prize money in both men's doubles and mixed doubles, even though my forehand still sucked).

I've gone through a lot of frames since then, but strangely, I'm now back the 4.7, except that I play it almost 3 ounces heavier than I did 10 years ago. Now my forehand is finally much better than before due to the lead in the right places, and my volleys are better than before, also due to the added lead. Unfortunatey, I don't have enough to time to practice my serve like I used to. So my rusty serve keeps me stuck as a double-faulting 4.5 with 5.0 rest of game who can dominate 8.0 mixed.

Honestly, that's an amazing story. Truly. But.... I have to admit that I had the impression from your posts and your technical knowledge that you were a much better player. I can honestly say that I'm a solid 4.5 player with just about ANY frame out there, easily able to dominate the 8.0 and 9.0 men's game. I don't feel that that's a particular accomplishment, really, since I can't win open level tournaments. But 4.5 men's, 9.0 mixed? No problem. I don't feel the need to expound upon my technical expertise or 19-ounce frames.

Solid technical volleys with classic frames will get you far in tennis. Easily 4.5 or higher. It really doesn't matter what frame you use. At this level, I've used a K90, a Donnay X-Dark Red, a Yonex Tour 89 and even an old Yonex R-22. It honestly doesn't matter.

If you're a good player, you can play with just about any frame as long as you're not on tour. I'm kicking butt at the 4.5 level singles/doubles with the Yonex Tour 89, but I honestly don't consider that a major victory. My advice is to play with what you're comfortable with, it doesn't matter what frame.

[parasailing]

I went from a Wilson KPS 88 to Babolat Pure Storm Tour GT and haven't looked back. KPS 88 while a wonderful racquet was too demanding to hit the sweet spot consistently and the occasional shank, would hurt my wrist.

Now 30 racquet demos later, I am still using the PSTGT though I try new racquets all the time. It offers the perfect blend of power, control, and spin while being arm friendly.

[travlerajm]

Originally Posted by TonyB

Honestly, that's an amazing story. Truly. But.... I have to admit that I had the impression from your posts and your technical knowledge that you were a much better player. I can honestly say that I'm a solid 4.5 player with just about ANY frame out there, easily able to dominate the 8.0 and 9.0 men's game. I don't feel that that's a particular accomplishment, really, since I can't win open level tournaments. But 4.5 men's, 9.0 mixed? No problem. I don't feel the need to expound upon my technical expertise or 19-ounce frames.

Solid technical volleys with classic frames will get you far in tennis. Easily 4.5 or higher. It really doesn't matter what frame you use. At this level, I've used a K90, a Donnay X-Dark Red, a Yonex Tour 89 and even an old Yonex R-22. It honestly doesn't matter.

If you're a good player, you can play with just about any frame as long as you're not on tour. I'm kicking butt at the 4.5 level singles/doubles with the Yonex Tour 89, but I honestly don't consider that a major victory. My advice is to play with what you're comfortable with, it doesn't matter what frame.

You obviously didn't get my joke poking fun at my current lack of court time compared to when I was winning prize money and reaching finals in open tourneys - maybe you need to have played a lot of USTA mixed league to get it?

Back to the topic: I don't think my serve (the most important shot for winning matches in singles ) would have developed into such a big weapon in my 20's I had if I hadn't switched from the POG mid to the Profile OS in high school. But on the other hand, the Profile probably stunted the development of my ground game. I never really developed my forehand enough to hang with top players from the baseline until I switched away from the big ultra-stiff club in my late 20s. And finally, I never truly became a top-notch volleyer until I learned to play with heavier racquets again in my mid 30s. There is no question that the racquet you play with shapes your game.

[goran_ace]

Wilson HPS 5.0 (95) to Head MG Extreme Pro (100).

[danotje]

Originally Posted by Ramon

Babolat APDGT to Pro Kennex Ki 5x.

Went from an over-powered, arm-wrecking frame that forced me to play tentatively to a more control-oriented, arm-friendly frame that lets me swing away with no worries.

Nearly the same for me, except I used the previous models in both cases--APD OG to the PK 7G. The 7 helped my arm heal and gave me much more control and stability. I miss some things about the APD, but I like being on the court, especially with the 7.

[USS Tang]

Prince grommets to Prince O-ports.